Ted Cruz on The Tenth Amendment

Last Updated : May 14, 2012

Summary

SG Cruz has been a strong supporter of the tenth amendment and speaks about it often. in June of 2010, he co-authored an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle addressing the subject and his desire to see a Center for Tenth Amendment Studies within the Texas Public Policy Center.

When addressing health care in a 2011 interview, SG Cruz cited the tenth amendment as a mechanism to overturn Obamacare.

In an October 2011 debate, SG Cruz stated that the tenth amendment was best described by Thomas Jefferson as chains to bind the mischief of government. He stated that the federal government needed to return to its constitutionally defined roles as eliminate the Departments of Education, Commerce, and others.

Op-Ed - Tenth Amendment

In June of 2010, SG Cruz wrote and op-ed for the Houston Chronicle that discussed the need for the tenth amendment in relation to reigning in the ambitions of men and the federal government.

Texas Public Policy Foundation

At the 9th annual Texas Public Policy Foundation in January of 2011, Solicitor General Cruz spoke about the use of the state legislature to fight back against the federal government.

Strategy to Overturn Obamacare

In April of 2011, Solicitor General Cruz spoke about the commerce clause and strategies for overturning Obamacare. He also discusses the expanse of the power of the federal government through the commerce clause.

Wedgewood Church Debate

In October of 2011, SG Cruz participated in a debate at the Wedgewood church. When speaking about his overall views, he spoke about his support for the tenth amendment and returning the federal government to the role defined in the constitution.

I have spent a life time fighting to defend the constitution and to defend the 10th amendment. We need to get the federal government out of areas it doesn't have the constitutional authority to do. We need to eliminate the department of education, we need to eliminate the department of commerce, we need to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. We need to eliminate the IRS and move to a flat tax or a fair tax.

Most fundamentally, we need to get back to the tenth amendment, to the idea that our constitution serves as Thomas Jefferson put it, "chains to bind the mischief of government," and to get the politicians out of our lives.